Uncommonly Special
by the rose will wilt
Summary: The only thought Hermione had was "I need to get out of here." But this wasn't exactly what she meant. Now she is in the Marauder's time with no idea how she got there and many unanswered questions, and something important to discover about herself. Set in the marauder's seventh year, time travel fic Rated M for mature themes, scenes, and everything in betweens TRIGGER WARNING
1. Chapter 1: The Final Battle

**Disclaimer: I'm only going to one of these at the beginning of the story because it's a fanfiction site, so you all know I don't own anything already. If you recognize it, it's not mine.**

**A/N This is just an idea that I had, so I have only a vague plan of which direction I will take this story. I will update as often as possible, but after this first chapter it will probably seem slow to start so please bear with me! Let me know what you think and please review!**

**EDIT: This story has been edited from its original form, I recommend re-reading he first five chapters to see what's different before continuing reading. All author's notes form original posting have been kept the same, so some of the information in them may no longer be 100% accurate.**

Hermione flew down the hallway at top speed, not even reacting when the castle shook. She heard curses flying at her from behind, but did not falter in her step as she sent the death eater coming up behind her into a wall. She took the stairs two at a time, with the same bone-chilling voice repeating over and over in her head.

_Your hour is up._

They had barely begun to collect the dead when the battle began anew. What was worse, Harry seemed to have gone missing. She hadn't the slightest idea where to even begin to look in the chaos of the battle. The castle shook once more and a wall gave way in front of her, causing her to turn around and sprint through a secret passage.

In the passage the sounds of the battle diminished slightly, and the shouts of pain and curses could barely be heard. When Hermione reached the end of the passage she was forced to stop because of a body blocking the exit. She didn't dare look at the face, not caring if it was a friend or foe lying there. She leaned against the wall for a moment and forced herself to collect her thoughts.

No matter how Hermione tried to think rationally, those four deadly words blocked all other thoughts in her mind. _Think. Think. Where would Harry go?_

Hermione nearly smacked herself when she remembered. The map! Harry had given it to her to find him in the room of requirement earlier. She quickly fished it out of her beaded purse and found him exiting Dumbledore's office.

Hermione carefully maneuvered around the body and winced as she stepped in a pool of blood. The moment she was free of the passage she was sprinting again. She dodged the slew of curses that came firing at her again and kept going. She didn't even flinch when an improperly aimed _Sectumsempra_ grazed her forehead and caused it to start bleeding.

By the time Hermione reached the seventh floor she had left the battle behind. The only evidence anything was going on was the flashes seen through the windows and shaking of the castle. As she turned a corner she nearly ran straight into Harry, who did not seem to be paying attention at all.

"Harry!" Hermione all but yelled, "Where the hell have you been?!"

Harry looked up, seeming startled, "I had to see something…."

"Well it must have been pretty damn important if you didn't hear Voldemort telling the whole castle we are about to die! The hour is up!" Hermione yelled.

This sent Harry into action as he started to run down the hallway, aware of the sounds of battle from the floors below for the first time. Hermione took off after him, a barely heard him mutter, "I didn't get there fast enough."

Hermione immediately knew what he meant. He was going to turn himself over to Voldemort. She ran after him yelling repeatedly variations of 'stop' and 'don't do this.'

In her desperation, she screamed, "Harry Potter, don't you dare get yourself killed, or all those lost lives tonight will be for nothing!"

Harry stopped dead and slowly turned around. She kept running a finally caught up to him. It wasn't until she was facing him up close that she saw the hollow, dead look in his eyes that told her all that she needed to know. He had given up.

Harry's face was an expressionless mask and there was no emotion in his voice as he said so quietly she almost missed it, "Hermione stop. I have to do this; I have no choice."

"Harry, you always have a choice! You can't stop fighting now!" she began angrily, but he stopped her.

"Don't." he said in a strangled voice, his voice cracking slightly. He took a second to compose himself and settle back into his expressionless mask. "Just do yourself a favor, and when this is all over go to Dumbledore's office and look in the pensieve. It will explain everything."

With that, Harry then moved so quickly she didn't have time to react. He pushed her backwards while quickly casting a shield charm over her. He proceeded to cave in the ceiling next to her, effectively preventing her from following him.

She had not even begun to try to get through the obstacle Harry had made when the corridor behind her filled with people dueling. Among them she saw Neville, Luna, Molly Weasley, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Hermione barely had time to react before she was forced to join the fighting. The entire time she kept thinking, _I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here._

Hermione had just managed to throw Rodolphus Lestrange into a nearby wall when she turned and saw what would be forever imprinted in her mind. She watched as if in slow motion as Lucius Malfoy cast a dark curse she didn't recognize at Luna and sent her flying into the nearby wall. She lay with limbs twisted at awkward angles and blood trickling out the side of her mouth, dead. Neville turned and cried out in anguish, and Hermione instantly sent a curse at Malfoy. Lucius quickly retaliated, and their duel began.

Hermione was furious, Malfoy had not only just killed Luna, but he was preventing her from running after Harry. They were both fighting with a ferocity clearly intended to kill. Her injuries and blood loss were beginning the catch up with her, and Lucius did not seem to be faring any better. They were both wordlessly flinging curses so fast that it became a blur of color between them, and eventually Lucius was forced to dodge rather than block her curses. In her anger Hermione's magic seemed to strengthen and lose control. The air around her sparked with static and all of Malfoy's shields refused to work. His usually composed mask of indifference slipped and fear showed on his face as he was backed against a wall.

In a last ditch effort, Lucius cried "Avada Kedavra!"

The spell hurtled straight towards her and time seemed to slow down as she faced her certain death. Hermione closed her eyes and waited for the spell to come, but it never did. She looked down and took in Neville's lifeless form lying at her feet. She looked up to see a satisfied smirk on Malfoy's face and he turned the corner running down the hallway.

Hermione ran after him full speed before she was stopped as she came face-to-face with Bellatrix. Hermione didn't even bother to block the curse that was sent at her accompanied by an evil grin, choosing to sidestep it instead.

"Well if it isn't Potter's favorite mudblood." She sneered.

The anger and desperation Hermione felt inside her overflowed in a wave of magic that sent Bellatrix flying backwards. Bellatrix quickly got up, the smile disappearing from her face. Hermione paid her no attention, because she was already gone chasing after Harry again.

Hermione didn't hear anyone pursuing, so she continued on, weaving in and out of the fighters and dodging curses down the corridor. She watched as more wizards and witches fell with panic. It was becoming clear that they were losing and soon to be outnumbered. Multiple times she narrowly missed being hit by a killing curse.

After another narrow miss, she tripped and fell over something large. She looked down to see Hagrid on the floor with blood covering his face with his large yellow handkerchief pressed into a fatal wound. With a pang, she realized it was his attempt to stop the blood.

Hermione screamed out in panic and shock. With tears streaming down or face and blurring her vision, she did her best to scoot herself away from him across the floor. It was all she could do to not break down then and there. '_I have to get out of here.'_ She thought once again.

Hermione saw a door come into focus and dragged herself through it, tears still running down her face. Disoriented, she managed to stand up to find herself in a deserted corridor that seemed oddly untouched by the battle. Alone in the battle-absent corridor she broke down. Everything of the last hour came flooding back.

_Voldemort's condescending and icy voice once again filled all of Hogwarts declaring, "Your hour is up."_

_Within five minutes the Great Hall was filled with Death Eaters fighting the remaining survivors. The dead so carefully laid out were trampled, and many more began to join them. Just as Hermione brought down another faceless Death Eater, the entire hall suddenly fell silent._

_Everyone turned and watched as Voldemort entered the Great Hall and calmly walked up to the head table, occasionally kicking a body out of his way as if it was a piece of discarded trash. Her heart clenched when he kicked Fred in the head as he passed by his body. George jumped forward impulsively in anger, and with a flick of Voldemort's wand he fell on top of his brother, dead._

_There were multiple cries of anguish, and several others started forward, only to be yanked back by their peers. As Voldemort reached the head table, his Death Eater's gathered behind him._

"_Where is Harry Potter? No one to volunteer their life to save him this time? Too much of a coward to face me?" Voldemort sneered._

_No one dared to breathe, let alone respond._

"_Have it your way then. Unless any of you wishes to join me." He paused for a moment, and then turned to his Death Eaters, "Kill them all. Find me Harry Potter."_

She shook her head to clear her dizziness and collect herself before sprinting down the corridor.

As Hermione rounded the corner she found herself faced with Lucius Malfoy yet again. He was simply walking down the corridor with a smirk on his face as if nothing was happening.

Hermione once again screamed out in anger and started throwing spells at him again, simultaneously crying out, "Coward!"

Malfoy had barely begun to turn when she had him on the ground knocked out.

Hermione kept running and heard a commotion behind her. She happened to be passing by Dumbledore's office. In an effort not to be caught and slowed down in a duel again, she blasted the gargoyle out of the way of Dumbledore's office. She hurried up the stairs to wait for the death eaters to pass. Hermione reached the top of the stairs as she ran into the last person she had ever expected to see.

Dumbledore.


	2. Chapter 2: An Unlikely Reunion

**A/N: This chapter is quite a bit longer than the last one, and I have decided to make it my goal to upload at least once a week barring complications called life. I've made several changes to better suit the story, such as the light side losing, badly. I will keep mostly to canon to a point with changes necessary to the story. I hope you enjoy!**

**EDIT: This chapter has been changed from when it was originally posted. If you notice something different it has been altered. The original author's notes are the same.**

_Dumbledore._

Hermione wanted to cry out in relief.

"Dumbledore!"

They were all saved. She longed run over and hug his frail frame and never let go, but she restrained herself. She very nearly started jumping up and down and cheering. A thousand emotions were running through her mind at once, most of which centered around relief.

Tears streaming down her face, Hermione started to step towards him. Her mind was going a million miles a minute, and she was started to feel slightly dizzy from the speed of it. But somewhere from the back of her mind something there was nagging, trying to come out from under all of her emotions.

She vaguely heard him say, "Are you alright my dear?" but it was lost in the turmoil that was her thoughts.

Finally, a memory surfaced of the last time that Hermione had seen Dumbledore. The battle resulting in Snape's betrayal and flight from the castle. He had been lying at the bottom of the astronomy tower. Glasses knocked off, hand blackened and grotesque, limbs twisted and broken at odd angles, pale, and most definitely _dead._

Another memory came immediately after that of everyone at Dumbledore's funeral. Harry speaking and everyone crying. The insurmountable grief and silence left behind by Fawkes' song. All of the students and staff alike mourning the loss of the headmaster as he was sealed into a marble tomb on the castle grounds.

Hermione froze in her tracks and all color drained from her face.

Dumbledore was gone. Dumbledore was dead. Dumbledore shouldn't be here. Dumbledore _couldn't _be here; they were in the middle of a battle. Dumbledore was currently in a broken tomb on the grounds, and he most definitely could not be the man standing before her.

At the end of this last thought Hermione came to her senses and all of her instincts that she had acquired from a year on the run kicked in. "Dumbledore" had a look of puzzlement and was not expecting anything as she whipped out her wand and turned it on him. In a bright flash of yellow light he was thrown backwards into the high-backed headmasters' chair and his wand was in Hermione's hand.

Dumbledore didn't have time to react after having the wind knocked out him by her blow. She conjured magical ropes out of thin air around his wrists and chest, effectively strapping him to the ornate chair. She proceeded to add several more charms to the bonds until they emitted a soft, ethereal glow. She also warded the entire room until it was sealed tight and she was sure they would not be interrupted. It was perhaps a little overkill, but Hermione thought it to be only right considering the circumstances.

It was only once she was satisfied that he was sufficiently tied down that she approached him warily. With a hard jab of her wand, "Dumbledore" slid to the center of the room.

Dumbledore hadn't said anything as she bound him and set up her wards, he merely looked on with a curious, if not slightly impressed look. He didn't even react when Hermione put her wand to his throat.

Hermione held her wand securely to his throat and demanded, "Who are you?!"

Dumbledore blinked slightly and his eyes twinkled and he slowly responded, "I could ask the same of you. You already have stated who I am when you entered my office, very loudly, might I add. My name is Albus, though most do seem to refer to me as Dumbledore."

Hermione nearly growled as she retorted, "You can't be Dumbledore. Dumbledore is dead."

At this a slightly confused look flitted across his face before disappearing again.

"How could I be dead if I am sitting right here, may I ask?"

"Don't lie," Hermione spat, "Dumbledore died over a year ago, I saw it, I went to his funeral. I will ask one more time, who are you?!"

Dumbledore's face remained passive even as she jabbed her wand unintentionally further into his neck. He seemed almost amused and acted as though he had to think for a moment before leisurely stating,

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Hermione fought the urge to smack the imposter, but knew that she never could, not while he/she was wearing his face.

"Dumbledore is dead." Hermione stated flatly with no emotion.

This time he did not react to the statement about his death, but only airily responded with that annoying twinkle in his eye,

"I can assure you that I am not, nor have I ever been, dead. Now, I would be happy to answer any questions you have to prove to you I am who I say I am. I only ask that you lower your wand, or at least point it toward a less threatening appendage."

Hermione hesitated, but took a small step back and lowered her wand to point at his chest. She took a moment and tried to think of multiple questions only Dumbledore would know the answer to.

"What is Lord Voldemort's real name?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly at the use of his full name before responding, "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

She didn't miss a beat as she moved on to the next question,

"What is the name of the group you formed to fight him?"

His brow furrowed slightly as he answered, "Well I would assume you are referring to the Order of the Phoenix."

She didn't bother to respond before she moved on,

"What are your siblings names?"

"Aberforth Dumbledore." He said calmly.

"Both of them." Hermione inquired dangerously.

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eye disappeared immediately.

"Aberforth and Ariana." He said with no emotion in his voice.

"What is the name of your best childhood friend?"

At this the side of Dumbledore's mouth turned up slightly in a ghost of a smile, but he stated without real emotion, "Elphias Doge."

"Whom did you spend the summer after graduation with?"

If the emotionless, non-twinkly Dumbledore was unsettling, the way his eyes darkened at the question could send the bravest of lions running for the hills.

He took an unsteady breath and responded with an emotional tremble to his voice Hermione doubted he had ever allowed anyone to hear in his voice before,

"I do believe that your questioning has been thorough enough for me to prove who I am."

"I do have one more question," Hermione said, glancing to the object in her hand, "what is this object called?" she said, raising up his wand.

Dumbledore's calm mask of serenity was back in place, but the twinkle had yet to return to his eye. He paused for a moment before responding,

"That is the Elder Wand."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly, and she waved her wand several times in a circular fashion and all of Dumbledore's bonds fell to the floor. Hermione knew anyone could have answered the questions about his family as a result of Skeeter's book, but no one would have expressed that kind of a reaction. Dumbledore rubbed at his wrists slightly as Hermione hand him his wand back. She took note of the fact that his hand was no longer blackened.

Dumbledore shook his head slightly, "I must say whoever taught you to do that did a very good job of it, but is it necessary to keep the wards up around my office?"

Hermione stared at him intently before biting out, "A very good job, seeing as you were the one who taught me. And yes, I do think it necessary given the circumstances."

"And those circumstances are...?"

She looked at him for a moment before stating with an odd sort of calmness, "Well, there's the fact that I'm talking to dead man. You could also factor in that the castle is full of death eaters, Voldemort is in the Great Hall, and we are in the middle of a losing battle. Plus, I'm pretty sure that Harry is dead already, in which case our last hope is already gone."

Dumbledore seemed slightly taken aback by her blunt statement, and showed a look of confusion Hermione had never before seen of the old wizard's face.

"Well it would seem we have much to discuss Miss…?"

"Granger. Hermione Granger."

Dumbledore nodded slightly in acknowledgement of her name before continuing,

"You certainly do look as though you have been through a battle recently, but I assure you that there is no battle going on in Hogwarts right now."

Hermione made a move as though to interrupt him, but he simply held up a hand to stop her.

"If Voldemort or his followers were within the wards of this castle I would know immediately, being the headmaster of the school. I also stand by my statement that I am not dead. Now, I believe we need to figure out exactly what is going on, but first I hope that you would allow me to heal you before you pass out from blood loss."

Hermione was taken aback for a moment by his words, shock at the former and surprise at the latter. Now that she took a moment to think about it, she couldn't hear any shouts of curses or screams of pain. The shaking of the castle had also stopped and there were no lights outside of the window.

She also became aware of the deep cuts and other injuries scattered about her body, but she did not feel them due to the inordinate amount of adrenaline pumping in her veins. She touched her head lightly and found that when she drew it away it was covered in fresh blood. The fact that some of the blood on her was not her own was not lost on her either.

She stewed for a moment longer before relenting, "Alright then."

Her shoulders sagged in defeat as Dumbledore conjured up a cozy looking chair and instructed her to sit down.

He cast a few diagnostic spells, looking shocked at the amount of damage to her body. He busied himself with healing the injuries scattered around her body, healing all of the major cuts and her broken ribs. He eyed the scars on her arm provided by Bellatrix at the Malfoy Manor, but said nothing. She was silent as he worked, and only nodded when he commented on her high pain tolerance. He opted to save her head for last, as well as a particularly nasty cut on her shoulder.

When Dumbledore had finished everything else, he tried to heal her head and failed. He stopped, and cocked his head slightly to the side before casting several diagnostic spells on it.

"This was some very dark magic, whoever gave you this to you." Dumbledore said slowly, almost questioningly.

Hermione only gave him a sidelong glance before casting the countercurse to heal it and muttered, "Must've been Sectumsempra, I think it was Macnair, maybe Dolohov."

Dumbledore gave her another curious look as he walked over to a chest filled with numerous bottles and potions. He selected two and brought them over to her and held them out to her.

Hermione eyed him suspiciously and did not take them, "You first."

Dumbledore sighed slightly in what could only be defined as exasperation, "I assure you that I have done nothing to them, they are merely a pain and blood replenishment potion. But if you insist I will take a sip of each."

Hermione nodded her head in acceptance and drank some of each only after she had seen him swallow.

"Now, as for your shoulder, I am out of Essence of Dittany so I will have to floo Madam Pomfrey to come and give it to you. If you would be so kind as to drop your wards." Dumbledore said as he motioned around the office.

"No!" Hermione said perhaps a little too forcefully. She couldn't help the image that flashed across her mind of the mediwitch being hit in back by a killing curse as she tended a dying Seamus Finnigan. It seemed that Dumbledore was a bit behind the times, though she couldn't begrudge him not knowing about Madame Pomfrey when he didn't seem to know about his own death.

"I mean, I have some," she added hastily as she pulled her beaded purse from the inside pocket of her jacket. She inserted her arm up to the elbow and pulled out the dittany and handed it to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore only gave her another curious look before carefully pouring it onto the large gash on her shoulder. When he was done and the burning from the dittany had subsided he sat back down across from her.

Dumbledore settled down into his chair before starting what promised to be a long conversation.

"I would first like to address several concerns I have that may help us shed some light on our current situation. Obviously, there is the fact that you are adamant that I am dead. What is just as curious to me, other than the uncomfortable amount of information you know about me, is how you know about the Order of the Phoenix."

Hermione's jaw fell open as she stared at him. Seriously? This was his main concern? Dumbledore really needed to sort out his priorities. Now she knew how Ron felt.

"How could I not? I lived at headquarters for an entire summer, and I was inducted right after your funeral!"

Dumbledore did not react, merely studied her intently.

"I ask this, because I have not started the Order of the Phoenix yet, it is only an idea that I have been toying with. I wasn't intending on starting it until after the end of this school year."

Hermione leaned away from him as though he had struck her, "…what?"

"What also concerns me is the fact that several of the people you say you have fought recently are students here currently."

Hermione sputtered, "But that's not possible, they are old enough to be my parents!"

Dumbledore leaned forward and looked her directly in the eye,

"Miss Granger, what year is it?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably before answering, "1998."

"I am not sure how, but it appears you are quite out of place," Dumbledore said, "The year is 1977."


	3. Chapter 3: Explanations

**A/N: I'm trying to write a few chapters ahead of time before Christmas break ends, but I'm impatient so I'm posting it now. As far as the battle goes, I have tried to make it blatantly obvious they were losing and try to mimic the panic and grief Hermione felt in that situation. I don't know how well I did, but fair warning for you for the chapters ahead. Enjoy!**

**EDIT: This chapter has now been changed from what it originally was and reposted, so if something seems very different, it is. I'm keeping most of the original A/N in place though.**

"_I am not sure how, but it appears you are quite out of place, the year is 1977."_

Hermione stared, uncomprehending, "But, that's not possible."

Dumbledore sighed, knowing it would take a lot of convincing to get this girl to understand, "Given everything that you have told me, time travel is really the only explanation that I can think of."

Hermione refused to believe it, "The only thing that can turn back time is a time turner, and that only goes back a few hours at most!"

"Hearing that statement only reinforces my theory, due to the fact that time turners are currently still in the process of being developed."

Hermione huffed and sat back in her chair in defeat and said simply,

"How?"

Dumbledore looked surprised at her easy acceptance of such a concept, but she waved him off, adding,

"When you have seen and done as much as I have nothing surprises you."

Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgement of her statement, but said nothing. Though all he could think was 'What has this child been through?'

"I believe that the real question now lies in how you came to travel here. After all, there has been very little record of time travel more than a few hours. And judging from what you have told me, there has been no change in that in the future."

Hermione took on an annoyed expression, "This is doing nothing to explain how I got here."

Dumbledore held up his hand calmly, "Miss Granger, I understand that you have just gone through a great ordeal after being through a battle and time traveling, but I must ask you to maintain some amount of calm while we figure this out."

Hermione nodded, ashamed, "I'm sorry Professor, I know you are just trying to help."

"That's quite alright my dear," Dumbledore stood up and walked over to the cupboard containing the pensieve,

"Now, I believe the simplest way to go about this would be to take a look at your memory to pinpoint exactly when you time traveled and allow me to view some of the events leading up to it."

Hermione swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Okay, but I'd rather not see it again if you don't mind."

Dumbledore nodded his consent and Hermione put her wand to her temple and drew out a long, silver strand of memories and placed it inside of the pensieve. Dumbledore nodded once more before entering her memories.

Hermione sat back to wait for Dumbledore nervously. She had decided to start memories from directly after her leaving the Chamber of Secrets, when everything had started to go wrong. She did her best to shut out the abundance of memories floating to the surface of her mind, but she knew it was no use. It may have been simpler to just go with Dumbledore if she was going to relive it anyways.

Meanwhile, in Hermione's memories, Dumbledore was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. There were tears trickling down his old face as he watched the destruction around him within Hermione's memory.

Dumbledore decided he was lucky to be in such good shape for someone of his age, because he often had to sprint after Hermione when he would get too caught up in watching everything around him. He tried and failed multiple times to join the fighting, or yank someone back before they were killed. He failed each time before remembering he was in a memory and had a job to do.

He followed after Hermione, letting out a scream unbecoming of a headmaster when a young boy no older than fifteen was literally blown apart and splattered the walls with a nearby scream of 'Dennis!'

Dumbledore listened to Voldemort's call for Harry to come to the Forbidden Forest and watched as Hermione began to assist in gathering dead. He watched the barely of age girl hug her loved ones until Voldemort called out their death sentence.

Dumbledore tried and failed to duel the memory Tom Riddle, and joined Hermione in her desperate sprint through the castle to find Harry. He felt Hermione's desperation as she yelled at the boy who looked so much like the current James Potter. He watched with trepidation as the boy ran off to his death.

When the ceiling caved in Dumbledore began to look at Hermione in awe.

In Hermione's anger and grief, the air around her began to crackle with magic. As she dueled the old Lucius Malfoy several bursts of magic broke away and made large gashes in the walls. She dueled with a ferocity he had only seen once before in Grindelwald and possibly himself. Hermione probably would have won right off if she did not have the grief of the blonde girl's death blinding her. Dumbledore was amazed when a simple reducto shattered a shield that was well beyond NEWT level.

Dumbledore cried out in horror when the boy who looked to be a Longbottom gave his life for Hermione. He stood there for a moment before taking off after Hermione just in time to see her blast an old Bellatrix Black into a wall without even using her wand.

Tears started pouring down Dumbledore's face in earnest as he watched Hermione trip over Hagrid's bloody body and scoot away, screaming at the top of her lungs in panic. He noticed the magic in the air go up in intensity and gather as a light blue glow around Hermione's scrambling form.

Dumbledore heard Hermione muttering '_I have to get out of here," _over and over again as she dragged herself towards the nearby wall. Dumbledore watched, shell-shocked, and the light peaked and a door that did not exist appeared right next to her. Hermione dragged herself through it and Dumbledore followed, stepping over her when she did not make any move to stand up.

Dumbledore looked around and realized that they were in a hallway identical to the one they had just left, barring the fact that there was no battle going on. As soon as the door behind Hermione closed, it disappeared, taking all traces of the battle with it. He looked on with sadness as Hermione broke down, but snapped to attention when Hermione shot up and cursed a young Lucius Malfoy, all traces of an emotional breakdown gone as she went back into battle mode.

Dumbledore was once again impressed when Hermione tore through his protective wards and blew apart his gargoyle as if it were nothing. The memory ended with Hermione entering his office.

Hermione waited just under five minutes for Dumbledore to come back; knowing that time passes faster in the pensieve. Hermione decided to keep herself busy during that time so as to not dwell on her memories.

She started by casting some cleaning spells on herself and siphoning as much of the blood off of herself as she could. Hermione then set about repairing everything in the office she had broken during her interrogation of Dumbledore. When she had finished with that, she took down the wards around the office, leaving only the silencing charm.

By the time Hermione finished, Dumbledore had exited the memory. She turned around and barely had time to register the tears on Dumbledore's face and how shaken he looked before she was swept into a bone-crushing hug. She hesitated for a moment before hugging him back, surprised at how much she longed for the comfort.

After a moment, Dumbledore stepped back with his eyes still watering.

"I'm sorry my dear girl, I don't know what came over me. If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back."

With that, Dumbledore rushed out of the room.

Hermione stood there abashed for a moment before rolling her eyes and sitting down. Dumbledore almost never showed real emotion, but so far today she has seen him look confused, borderline angry, and now the old man was crying. This has been a weird day. Then again, it wasn't every day you fought in a battle or time-traveled either. No, this sort of thing was supposed to happen only once a year. Hermione wondered for a moment if she was crazy.

As Hermione pondered this, Dumbledore re-entered the room, looking significantly more calm and collected. That annoying twinkle in his eye was even back.

Dumbledore settled himself back into his chair and began to speak once more,

"Upon reviewing your memories I have noticed that you are performing a great deal of extraordinary magic that I have never seen the equal of."

If there was anything Hermione expected him to say after that episode, it wasn't that.

"I'm not sure if I understand what you are saying Professor," Hermione said slowly.

"After your friend caved in the ceiling, I noticed you started to gather a visible area of magic around you, an aura you may call it. You used otherwise simple spells to do things beyond their normal capability and power. The door you went through brought you here, but I believe from what I saw that you created that door."

Hermione stared at Dumbledore, maybe everyone was right, and Dumbledore really is off his rocker.

"That's not possible. I couldn't have done that."

"I am aware that it should not be possible, but from what I have seen in your memories I think that is the only viable possibility. When you went through that door, you ended up in the same hallway, but a different time."

Hermione sat back in her chair and continued to stare at Dumbledore. In a crazy sort of way, it did sort of make sense. She didn't think that she did it, but she did remember thinking 'I have to get out of here.' But this isn't exactly what she meant. Time travel was a bit extreme.

Finally, Hermione relented,

"Okay, so say I sent myself here. Hypothetically. How do I get back?"

Dumbledore sighed deeply and leaned back, looking very much his age in that moment.

"Hypothetically, if you sent yourself here you might be able to send yourself back. In reality, I don't think that is possible. I believe that if you were sent here, it must have been for a reason. It is highly likely you will never go back."

Hermione let go of a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She waited to feel something; shock, anger, sadness, _something._ But she felt nothing. Instead she just nodded.

"Okay. What happens now?"

Dumbledore sighed, "Well, it is important that no one knows that you are from the future. When you came through the door, you attacked the Lucius Malfoy of this time. I took the liberty of wiping his memory. He is now in the hospital wing believing that he tripped and took quite the tumble down the stairs."

Hermione smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. Even though he deserves it, young or old."

Dumbledore chose to ignore her last comment and continued, "We are only a few days into term, so I believe you should join in with the school and be as discreet as possible. I can sort you now if you would like?"

Hermione nodded her assent and Dumbledore walked over and took the Sorting Hat down from a high shelf. She then felt the Sorting Hat slide over her eyes for the second time in her life.

For a moment, everything was quiet. Then she felt rather than heard his figurative jaw drop.

'_You've had quite the life Miss Granger_." She heard in her head.

'_Tell me about it.'_

'_I've sorted you before.'_

'_Yes, you have.'_

'_I think you will find what you are looking for here.'_

'_What?'_

'_I stand by my last decision with, _Gryffindor!"

Dumbledore seemed pleased and said, "I assumed as much from you."

Hermione nodded, "I was a Gryffindor last time."

Hermione was still puzzled by what the Sorting Hat had said to her, but decided not to dwell on it for now.

"Well, I think that we should be able to keep your name to same, and stick as closely to the truth as possible without revealing too much. That way you will not have to remember as much. I believe the easiest way to go about this would be to say that you are my niece. It would explain your familiarity with the castle, and your early involvement with the war."

"Aberforth has kids?"

Dumbledore gave a light, empty chuckle, "One might jump to that conclusion, but it was my sister, Ariana, who had a family."

Hermione didn't know what to make of this information. She had thought that Ariana was too unstable to even live on her own, let alone have a family. Her impression was that Ariana had severe lack of emotional development and learning disabilities.

"But I thought that she…?"

"Was mentally handicapped? I'm afraid that was a cover story that went a little too far."

At her curious look he continued, "You see, my sister was a powerful young woman, even more powerful than myself. Even at age six she had powerful waves of accidental magic frequently. I'm sorry to say that my parents were almost afraid of Ariana, and extremely overprotective. It was not my father who attacked those muggles, but a bout of accidental magic from Ariana when she became upset at their teasing. So, when my father went to Askaban a lot of attention was drawn towards my family that my mother did not like. My mother concocted a cover story for Ariana while my father took the fall for the attack, and we kept her sheltered to hide her from anyone who may wish her harm or to use her power. No one ever knew how smart she really was, and after Grindelwald turned, we faked her death and she went into hiding. Grindelwald was one of the few people that knew the true story."

Hermione took a deep breath to allow herself time to process what Dumbledore had just told her. Somehow, she wasn't overly shocked. Then again, the story she knew was told by Rita Skeeter, and Dumbledore was known for his secrets.

"So Ariana had a child?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly, "Yes, a daughter. She was believed to be killed during Grindelwald's reign. Ariana and her husband were killed by Grindelwald himself, but their daughter's body was never found. It would be easy enough to say her daughter was put into hiding and killed by death eaters. Had she lived, she may very well have had a daughter your age."

"I'm sorry Dumbledore, I never knew."

Dumbledore sighed heavily, and looked as though he was remembering something before shaking his head to clear it.

"That is quite alright, not very many people do."

Dumbledore seemed to reflect for a moment longer, before his tone became business-like, "Now, I can draw up some papers and a fake birth certificate tonight, and have it in the Ministry's record by tomorrow. This will also give you access to all of my accounts at Gringotts, solving any future money problems."

Hermione made to protest, but Dumbledore held up a hand, "I come from an old family and have a substantial salary as the headmaster, so I have more than enough money. I doubt I would even notice if someone stole from me. Therefore, you have no choice in the matter."

Hermione huffed but didn't say anything.

"Good, now as much as I would like to continue this I do not think now is the time. You look simply dead on your feet. You may sleep in my chambers for tonight and I will have a house elf bring you something to sleep in. The guest room is the first door on the right. Tonight is Friday, so you will have the weekend to get everything sorted and get settled in. Off you trot!"

Hermione smiled slightly at Dumbledore's usual giddiness and twinkle making an appearance and walked to the stairs in the back corner of the room. She started to walk up the stairs, but stopped and turned slightly to look at Dumbledore, who was sitting at his desk starting the papers.

"Oh, and Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore looked up and turned around, "Yes?"

"What happened to Ariana was not your fault. I hope you know that."

Dumbledore just gave her a heartbreakingly sad smile and nodded,

"Thank you."

Hermione nodded and smiled, and then ascended the stairs and walked into the guest room. Old habits die hard and all that, she warded the entire room. She didn't wait for the house elf, or for anything really. She just walked over to the bed and collapsed on top of the covers, asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

**A/N: So, in case you didn't follow my crazy explanation, Hermione will be legally Ariana's granddaughter, making Dumbledore her great uncle. Her last name in this time period will now be Dumbledore, even though it comes from her "grandmother's" side because Dumbledore will be her legal guardian. I wanted to give Hermione and Dumbledore a mix of a mentor relationship and family, so I made him her uncle. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4: A New Day

**A/N: I am happy to say that I got a 1 rating in all the events I was in at district speech yesterday and am going to state! If that means anything to you. In other news, thank you to everyone that has followed and reviewed, I appreciate the concern over my health a lot. I have had a lot of medical problems in the past (epilepsy, etc.), so it wasn't anything too major, just a case of the flu that got really out of hand. I will also be taking down the little note I left, because it is no longer needed now that I am posting this. Enjoy the chapter!**

**EDITED A/N: I have not changed the author's notes from when this was first posted, but a lot of this chapter has been edited to better suit the story. If something seems different, it is.**

_Hermione closed her eyes and tried to ignore the searing pain in her arm where Bellatrix had just carved that filthy word._

"_See? That wasn't so hard now was it? Now everyone can see you for exactly what you are," Bellatrix said with a hysterical giggle._

_When Bellatrix finally removed the cursed blade from her arm, Hermione braced herself for another round of Cruciatus._

_When it didn't come, Hermione managed to look past the pain for a moment only to see a bloodied tuft of red hair that indicated Ron was being dragged into the room._

_Hermione heard Bellatrix yelling the same questions at Ron that she had Hermione. Hermione's eyes were screwed up with pain, so all she could do was pray that Ron was okay. She knew he didn't give her any answers when she heard a loud "Crucio!" accompanied by Ron's agonized screams._

_Hermione managed to adjust her position on the floor just enough to see what was happening. Ron was lying in the middle of the floor, bruised and bloody, with Bellatrix shrieking above him._

_After several more minutes of torture, Bellatrix lost it completely._

_She screeched, "TELL ME WHERE YOU GOT THE SWORD!" as she plunged the sword deep into Ron's leg._

_Hermione could only manage a strangled gasp of horror as the sword imbued with venom started to drain Ron of life. Amidst his pain Ron managed to lift his head and spit in Bellatrix's face._

_Then several things happened at once; Bellatrix cried out in rage and shot a spell at Ron, Harry burst through the door and disarmed Draco, and Dobby dropped the chandelier on Narcissa._

_Just as Hermione struggled to her feet, the curse began to take its effect on Ron._

_The curse immediately started to liquefy all of Ron's organs causing him to bleed through his pores, and he sunk to the ground screaming in pain. Hermione screamed in horror just as Dobby grabbed her and…._

Hermione woke with a start when she felt arms close on her shoulders. Without a word she had her wand out from under her pillow and pointed at the attacker's chest. By the time she opened her eyes she was standing with the attacker pinned on the bed.

"It's just me Hermione, no need to be frightened," came a familiar voice.

Hermione allowed herself to focus and saw that it was Dumbledore.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Dumbledore. You just scared me is all."

"Oh that's quite alright dear, it's my fault. I should have known better."

With that everything from the previous day came rushing back so fast that it almost made her dizzy. Breaking into Gringotts, the battle, everyone dying, time traveling. Hermione was still breathing hard from her dream, and everything threatened to overwhelm her.

Instead, she forced herself to calm down as she had many times in the past year. Dumbledore was starting to look at her with concern, but Hermione cut him off before he could say anything.

"How did you get past my wards?"

Dumbledore looked slightly taken aback, "Well, I have to admit it wasn't easy," he held up his wand, "this helped a bit. I would have liked to let you sleep longer, but there is much for you to do today in order to settle in."

Hermione nodded in understanding, "I like to get an early start anyway, I'm sure there is a lot to do. I'm just not used to anyone getting through my wards. The best way to wake me up without me attacking you is to just tap my foot, that's what H-harry used to do." She faltered near the end, tears welling up as she thought of Harry with a pang.

"I'll keep that in mind," Dumbledore said merrily, "Now I'll let you get ready for the day. The bathroom is across the hall; I've had a house elf bring up some clothes for you to wear until you get your own today. I'll be downstairs when you're ready."

Hermione nodded as Dumbledore left the room. She took another moment to calm herself before crossing the hall to the bathroom. Inside, she found a bathroom easily the size of her dormitory.

Hermione saw fresh clothes laying on the counter as well as fresh towels and soap for her shower. She purposely avoided looking in the mirror, scared of what she would find. Hermione eagerly picked up the toothbrush and toothpaste to brush her teeth. This was one basic luxury she had missed. Especially since her parents are dentists. '_Will be dentists.' _Hermione corrected in her head.

When Hermione was finished, she finally gathered up enough courage to look up. She flinched when she saw the horrid girl looking back at her. She looked over her appearance as though she was looking at a stranger.

Hermione's hair was matted and covered with dirt and dried blood that may or may not have been her own. She could see black and purple bruises across her jaw, neck, and cheek. Somewhere along the way she acquired a black eye, and she could see the yellowing bruises from where Bellatrix slapped her in the Malfoy Manor. She had also dropped a lot of weight on run, and her ribs were showing giving her a slightly unhealthy look. Her clothes were threadbare and torn, and she could see the new scar on her shoulder through them.

But as Hermione looked a little closer, she could see some other changes from the past year. She had grown into her body a bit more, and she was no longer an awkward teenager. The war had aged her. She looked older, and her whole body radiated the confidence she didn't have when she was constantly carrying a minimum of five heavy books. Her hair now fell halfway down her back, so she would have to get it cut. She had also developed some curves that were previously nonexistent.

When Hermione finished her examination, she tore her eyes away from the mirror and picked up the brush. She spent five minutes attempting to brush out her hair, until she gave up and used her wand to untangle it. When Hermione was done, she stepped into the shower.

When Hermione initially stepped under the water, it stung all of her cuts. After a minute the stinging subsided and she began to relax. The water felt wonderful on her sore muscles, and she felt like some weight was lifted off her shoulders as the dirt and blood from the battle and past year went down the drain.

Hermione couldn't remember the last time that she had a long shower. Sure, she had bathed during her short time at Shell Cottage, but it was done hastily amidst their planning with Griphook. She reveled in the moment, and perhaps took a little bit longer than she should have.

When Hermione reluctantly left the warmth of the water, she felt like a prune. She quickly wrapped up in a towel and went to investigate the clothes left for her. They were typical 70's style with high-rise jeans and a simple top. She was surprised at how well they fit, and she decided to add woman's fashion to her mental list of Dumbledore's talents.

After Hermione dressed, she used a spell to dry her hair and brush it. It was not as frizzy as it had once been, and she thought she would like it a lot when she got it cut.

When Hermione finished, she looked at herself in the mirror one more time. She was just wondering if she could do anything to get rid of the bruises on her face when she noticed a small tube of medicine for bruises lying on the counter. Dumbledore really had thought of everything.

Hermione eagerly applied the cream to all visible skin, deciding to take care of any other bruises later. She watched with satisfaction as the bruises immediately began to fade and her eye went back to normal. All that was left were a few yellowing bruises in areas where they had been the worst. She decided to cast glamours on the rest and some of her more visible scars, not knowing who she might see today.

After Hermione deemed her appearance acceptable, she retrieved her beaded handbag from her room and walked down the steps to meet Dumbledore. When Hermione reached the bottom of the stairs, Dumbledore was sitting at his desk leaning over some papers. He looked around as he heard her enter and smiled.

"Ah, good morning Hermione. Come sit, there is much to do today." Dumbledore said, motioning his hand towards the chair across from him.

Hermione nodded and sat down across from him. Now that she was able to examine Dumbledore closely, she noticed that he did look a bit younger. His beard was not completely silver yet, and a bit of auburn was still lingering. The wrinkles on his face were not so prominent, and he was not as skinny as he had been in her time. His hand was no longer blackened, and his eyes did not have such a burdened look about them. In all, he looked healthier than he had been in her time.

Dumbledore either didn't notice or ignored her silence, and continued to speak in a business-like manner after she sat down.

"I made some papers last night, and went to the ministry early this morning. You are officially Hermione Dumbledore. Your parents are Stephen and Ariana Dumbledore, and your birthday is September 19th, 1960," Dumbledore held up a gold key and gave it to her, "this is your key to my Gringotts vault, I have already talked to a goblin so they will not question who you are."

Hermione opened her mouth to object and give the key back, "Professor I can't possibly take your…"

"You can and you will, I will hear nothing of it. I really have no need for all of that money, and I do not want you buying as little as possible because you think you are taking my money." Dumbledore interrupted.

Hermione's head dropped, she felt like a child being chastised,

"Yes Professor…"

Dumbledore smiled genuinely,

"Now, now, no need to call me 'Professor' anymore. If you are going to be my neice you must get used to calling me either Albus or Uncle."

Hermione smiled gently back, "Yes, Uncle."

Dumbledore positively beamed at the sentiment in her words before continuing.

"Good, now that that is settled, I would like to focus on what story you will tell people about where you came from."

Hermione nodded her head, indicating for him to go on.

"Due to the fact that your family has supposedly been in hiding since you were born, all of your teaching has been done by either your parents or private tutors. If anyone asks about your father you can choose whether to say he was muggle or not, but I urge you to keep anything you lie about simple. Try to stick as closely to the truth as possible. I have already spoken to and made Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel your Godparents. Your parents were accidentally killed by low-level death eaters that didn't know who you were, so Voldemort does not know of your existence. You can use this to explain why you were on the run, and that I found you and brought you here."

Hermione's eyes widened, Dumbledore really had put a lot of thought into this. After a beat of silence, she decided she better acknowledge that she understood,

"That doesn't sound too hard to remember, which I'm sure is the point. But I must ask, why did you make Nicholas and Perenelle my Godparents? I do know who they are, but I have never met them."

Dumbledore smiled, "I did not originally contact them with that intent. I had originally meant to only ask them their opinion on your…. special circumstances. I showed them your memories, and they agreed it looked as though you sent yourself here."

Hermione was shocked, if there was an explanation she expected to hear, it definitely wasn't that. In other circumstances she may have been angry that Dumbledore shared her memories without her permission, but she was glad at the possibility of more answers.

"But I don't understand, what does this have to do with you making them my Godparents?"

Dumbledore looked excited, but almost sad at the same time, if that was at all possible. He took a deep breath before answering,

"In all the theories considered, we have made the general consensus that your power was somehow involved in sending you here. We think that you may have a quite powerful gift that came out during a time of need and great stress. I would like them to work with you, help you find out the true extent of your magic."

Hermione could sense that he was still hiding something. "What exactly aren't you telling me?"

Dumbledore smiled at her sadly, and said as gently as he could,

"I'm afraid that, in all of the theories we have been able to come up with, there is no way for you to go back to your time. I believe that you were sent to this exact time for a reason. We will, of course, keep looking, but I think that you should try to build a life here."

Before it could even properly register in her brain, Hermione had large tears dripping down her face. Dumbledore walked around the desk and wrapped his arms around her in a hug and murmured comforting words to her as she thought of all the people she had lost. After a few minutes Hermione pulled back, slightly embarrassed at having broken down in front of the Headmaster.

Hermione pulled herself together, and did a quick scourgify to rid her face of tears before speaking,

"I'm sorry, I suppose that I am being slightly irrational. I really am not leaving much behind in the future. We were losing and all of my friends are dead anyway. Maybe I can even do some good here to make things better in the future."

Dumbledore smiled slightly and wiped a stray tear off of her cheek,

"You have nothing to be sorry about my dear, no matter what was happening in your own time, you still have experienced a great loss less than a day ago," then Dumbledore's face grew serious, "But I must warn you, you have to be careful. Just you being here has altered the timeline, but do not draw to much attention to yourself. If Voldemort ever found out your true origins, he would stop at nothing to hunt you down."

Hermione nodded, "I understand."

But Hermione couldn't stop herself from thinking that maybe, just maybe, she could prevent the future from ever happening and save her friends' lives in the process.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter I know I said she would meet Remus this chapter, but I ended up shoving more in between than I thought and before I knew I was up to eight pages so I decided to just post it now. Plus I really wanted to get a chapter out because I have homework I'm behind on from five different classes. I apologize for any errors, I was trying to edit as quickly as possible. Next chapter I'll get straight into her meeting Lily and the marauders. Thanks so much for all the support and see you next week!**


	5. Chapter 5: Meeting the Marauders

**A/N: I have my hands up! I surrender! Please don't hurt me! I know this update is really, REALLY late, but life decided to take a gigantic crap all over me. I've had a lot of health problems (which really isn't unusual), and school has been pretty nuts. My dad was recently diagnosed with cancer for the third time, so my updates will probably be pretty far between. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the follows and reviews!**

**EDIT: This chapter has been edited form when it was originally posted, so if something seems different, it is. The author's notes have been kept the same. This is the last chapter to be revised, so everything from here on out is new material.**

_But Hermione couldn't stop herself from thinking that maybe, just maybe, she could prevent the future from ever happening and save her friends' lives in the process._

Hermione was jerked from her thought process when Dumbledore clapped his hands together and smiled. His eyes twinkled, causing his demeanor to change completely from his seriousness a moment ago. Hermione could have sworn he was bipolar.

"Well Hermione, now that I've sorted some of the more tedious details out you'd better start to get comfortable here. You can go to Diagon Alley today to get your things. You have your key now, so take as much money as you need. I'm going to send someone with you who can show you what to get, and perhaps help you 'get with the style' as they say."

Hermione gave him an odd look; Dumbledore really was a funny man sometimes.

Dumbledore continued before she could respond,

"Of course, you may also want to pick up some modern history books of this time period to study and learn what has not happened yet. I'm sure you have a good idea of big events, but some spells may not have been invented yet."

Hermione nodded, she had been just about to suggest the same thing, but she was curious,

"Who will be going with me to Diagon Alley? No offense, but I don't think Professor McGonagall will be a big help with 'getting with the style'."

Dumbledore chuckled, "No I suppose not, I thought I would have our head girl go with you. She will no doubt be able to show you around and help you get accustomed to things, as she is also a Gryffindor."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat; she knew where this was going. She had an idea who the head girl was, but she had to have her fears confirmed.

"Who, may I ask, is the head girl?"

Dumbledore smiled, causing the skin to wrinkle around his eyes, "Oh she is a lovely girl, her name is Lily Evans."

Hermione's breath caught in her chest, and she turned deathly pale. She was still coming to terms with the fact that she was in the future, but this made it too real. Her chest was constricting, and she began to feel like she couldn't breath. Oblivious to her panic attack, Dumbledore continued to speak.

"Of course as of now she has no idea, I've just sent a house elf for her and the head boy. I'll introduce you to both of them and they can fill you in on your classes."

Hermione already knew that the head boy would be Harry's dad. Hermione's brain was working furiously now. How she had forgotten they would be here, she would never know. From here on out she would be surrounded by dead people, many of which she watched die.

Dumbledore seemed to finally notice that something was wrong, as he stopped mid-sentence,

"Hermione, is there something wrong?"

Hermione could barely respond she was breathing so hard, "Harry…James, Lily, dead…all of them…dead-"

Dumbledore seemed confused, and then his eyes widened as he put two and two together.

"Are James and Lily your friend's parents?"

Hermione swallowed hard and just nodded and stared at the floor.

"Hermione look at me."

Hermione sniffed and slowly looked up at Dumbledore to find he had a resigned look on his face and his eyes were full of emotion.

"I know many of the people here you may know in your time, but I need you to be strong. Remember that here they may be simply teenagers, and they may not be the people you knew in your time."

Hermione nodded, she didn't bother to tell Dumbledore that she had never known James or Lily because they would be dead in a few years' time. But then again, maybe they didn't have to be. Maybe she could change that.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond when there came as knock at the door. Dumbledore paused and looked at Hermione before answering, asking with his eyes if she would be all right. Hermione nodded stiffly, reining in her emotions with the practice of a seasoned soldier.

Dumbledore asked them to come in and they both entered looking at Hermione curiously. But Hermione wasn't paying attention; she was watching the Harry Potter look-alike with wide eyes.

Everyone had been right; Harry really was a mirror image of his father. They had the same messy black hair, pale complexion, and even the same nose. James was a bit taller, and muscular with the air of someone who had been well taken care of growing up that Harry had never had.

James also seemed to radiate complete confidence, and Hermione could see how he may have been arrogant at some point. To Hermione's knowledge this was the year that began to change. It looked as though he would have a forever half-smile on his face, but it wasn't a smirk like Malfoy's. It was completely carefree, the complete opposite of his son's experience.

Hermione was still staring at James when Lily spoke,

"Hello Professor, I'm sorry to interrupt, Tilly said that you wanted to see us…?"

Hermione blinked and shifted her attention to Lily. When she spoke she had smiled warmly, and spoken gently and politely. It reminded her a lot of Harry. Now that she really focused on her, Hermione saw that Lily really was just as beautiful as everyone said she was. She had long red hair, and her curves allowed her to actually look good in a Hogwarts uniform.

Lily was still looking at Dumbledore, until she shifted her gaze to Hermione. Hermione took a sharp inhale of breath as she stared into Lily's eyes. They were green and almond shaped; they were _Harry's._ She didn't understand how such a perfect copy could exist. They even held the same warmth, and you could see all of Lily's emotions just in her eyes. Just like Harry.

Hermione was starting feel the beginnings of another panic attack, but she was brought back to attention when Dumbledore responded.

"Ah, James, Lily, come in! Take a seat, care for a lemon drop?" Dumbledore said, motioning towards the chairs and pushing a crystal bowl of lemon drops towards them."

James and Lily made their way to the chairs and sat down. Lily smiled and shook her head politely at the offer for a lemon drop, but James adopted a stupid grin and took two.

Dumbledore chuckled and continued, "I would like to introduce you to Hermione Dumbledore, my granddaughter. Hermione is now under my guardianship, so she will be finishing out her schooling here."

Hermione could see a million questions in Lily and James' eyes, but they both just smiled widely.

James took first initiative and jumped forward to introduce himself, sticking out his hand with a wide grin,

"Hello Hermione, I'm James, and this is Lily-flower. Are you going to be a Gryffindor?"

Lily shot James a glare and elbowed him in the ribs, "Don't worry about James, my name is _Lily,_ it's a pleasure to meet you."

Hermione fought the urge to say, "I know", and instead just laughed, shook both of their hands, and replied, "It's nice to meet you, and yes I am in Gryffindor."

Dumbledore smiled, watching the exchange with twinkling eyes.

"Well it seems as though the three of you will get along well, so I was wondering if the two of you would be so kind as to go to Diagon Alley with Hermione today. I daresay she will be needing books and clothing if she is to go to school here."

Lily smiled warmly at Hermione and nodded, "Of course."

James' face lit up at the thought of leaving the school for the day, "Brilliant!"

Dumbledore smiled and James' enthusiasm before folding his hands in front on him,

"Now there is one other small matter I am hoping you could help me with Miss Evans."

Lily looked confused but nodded, "Anything Professor."

"I hate to ask this of you Lily, because this is a right that you have earned, but I was wondering if you would mind sharing your private dorm with Hermione. She has been through a great deal of stress recently and I would like her to be with someone she can trust," he then glanced briefly at Hermione, "I'm sure she will tell you as much about her situation as she sees fit."

Hermione nodded once in confirmation and Lily smiled, "It's no problem at all, it gets lonely in that dorm anyway."

Dumbledore chuckled lightly, "I believe that I have taken up enough of your time now. I daresay it will take you the entire day to shop, so you'd better go have breakfast and be on your way then!"

James and Lily seemed surprised by Dumbledore's sudden dismissal, but Hermione was used to it. Dumbledore changed directions so quickly that not many people could keep up with him.

At Dumbledore's urging, James and Lily stood up and Hermione followed them out of the office. Once outside, the three of them stared at the door as the gargoyle slid across it before looking at each other and laughing.

"He really is a funny man," Lily said.

Hermione laughed, "You get used to it, but he still never ceases to surprise me."

Lily was about to reply when James cut between them, still sucking merrily on a lemon drop.

"As interesting as this is, I'm hungry, so let's go to breakfast."

Before the girls could react in any way James hooked his arms through theirs and began quite literally marching them down to the Great Hall. Lily struggled to get away from him with a groan of distaste, but she finally gave up. Hermione was slightly surprised at how okay James was with grabbing onto and dragging around someone he had just met. His actions reminded her so much of Fred and George that she decided quickly hat she didn't care.

When they walked into the hall, nobody noticed the strange girl on James arm who certainly had not been at the school last year. Anyone who did glance up just saw James harassing Lily as per usual. It wasn't until Hermione sat down with them at the Gryffindor table that people started to take notice of her.

James and Lily were still fighting and not paying attention when a young first year boy who looked like he had gotten the short straw was shoved over by his friends.

He tapped Hermione on the shoulder, who started to reach for her wand before realizing where she was.

"Excuse me," the boy said timidly, "but who are you?"

Hermione smiled kindly at the boy's nervousness, "My name's Hermione. What's yours?"

"Alfie Corner. Why are you here?"

Hermione wondered briefly if the boy was related to Michael Corner, but did not linger on the thought because he died in the Battle of Hogwarts, "I'm a new student, I'm going to finishing school here."

"Oh."

With that, he scrambled away as quickly as he could. As soon as he reached his end of the table his friends surrounded him. Soon after, the entire hall was scattered with whispers of the new student in Gryffindor. Hogwarts has never had a transfer student before. Ever.

James and Lily finally stopped arguing when they finally noticed all of the attention that Hermione was attracting. People were now standing up and craning their necks to get a better look at the new student. It was about that time that two more people sat down across from them.

"What has Jamesie done to upset Lily-flower today?"

James grinned, "Morning, Padfoot."

Sirius Black was every bit as handsome as everyone said he was. With his wavy black hair, high cheekbones, and confident air, he looked the part of an aristocrat, even if his demeanor was far from it. He radiated happiness, and his eyes were bright with emotion, rather than dead and lifeless as they been in her time. This was a man who was still whole, who had not served ten years in Askaban, and who had not lost everyone dear to him. If anything, his carefree attitude and unrelenting charm was his most attractive feature.

When Hermione was done examining this young Sirius Black, her eyes fell on the man sitting next to him. To her surprise, he was already looking back at her with bright blue eyes.

At first, Hermione was hard-pressed to recognize him. Young Remus Lupin looked almost nothing like the older version of himself. His robes were not yet tattered and patched, as they had been when he was unable to find work, and his hair was not yet lank and prematurely grey. His hair was a nice light brown with just the right amount of wave that stopped near the tips of his ears. His skin was smooth with no wrinkles, and she could smell his light aftershave. She was enthralled with his light blue eyes with the little flecks of amber she knew came from his lycanthropy. Remus was, well, attractive. But the one thing that stood out the most, was that he looked for the first time since she had met him, he looked genuinely happy and content.

At Hogwarts Remus was accepted, he had friends who truly cared about him and didn't give his condition a second thought. While still quiet and thoughtful, he looked completely at ease.

Hermione shook herself out of her thoughts as she realized she was staring. She quickly drew her gaze away and looked up and down the table. A few faces she recognized, not because she knew them, but because they looked so much like their kids. It was easy to pick out the round face of Alice Prewett, who would later become Alice Longbottom. Hermione was brought out of her reverie when Sirius spoke to her.

"So, James, who is this beautiful woman and why have you not introduced me?"

James laughed and Lily rolled her eyes, "This is Hermione, she's finishing her seventh year here."

Hermione was about to say hello when Sirius ducked underneath that table, only to reappear on the other side in the seat next to her. He scooted as close to her as possible without being on her lap and slung his arm around her shoulder. Hermione couldn't help but notice a number of girls nearby look at her with jealousy.

"Hello Hermione, my name is Sirius Black," he said huskily into her ear, "do you believe in love at first sight?"

Hermione laughed out loud, and before he could say anything else Hermione hit him in the face with the pancake she had been eating. Sirius' cocky expression turned to one of shock before he burst out laughing.

"I like this one Prongs, she can stay."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Just as long as you don't give me any fleas, dog."

James', Remus', and Sirius' jaws all dropped in shock, before they regained composure, quick to disregard the completely accurate dog comment. Sirius then took the opportunity to toss some of his egg at Hermione in revenge for the pancake. Right before it landed in her hair though, it stopped midair and flew back towards Sirius' face. Sirius' looked shocked, and Hermione turned around in confusion. Everyone stared, until James brought his wand up from underneath the table and cracked a grin. Sirius broke the awkward moment by throwing a muffin at James' head.

A food battle between Sirius and James ensued, with Hermione caught in the crossfire. Hermione leaned back to avoid a piece bacon when she began to fall backwards. She came close to hitting her head when a pair of surprising agile hands caught her. She turned to see Dumbledore.

"Careful there, I see you are all getting acquainted. I would advise you to be more careful with my niece, Mr. Black." Dumbledore said, eyes full of mischief, he seemed to take great joy in calling her his niece.

Sirius spluttered, "N-niece?"

Hermione smiled cheekily, "Yep."

Dumbledore chuckled and walked away as Sirius gingerly plucked a piece of bacon out Hermione's hair and muttered, "You could have told me..."

James grinned, "Way to go Padfoot."

Sirius responded by flinging gravy at James, who ducked at the last second. The gravy hit the boy next to him, who looked up, startled.

James laughed, "Oops, sorry Wormtail."

Sirius grinned evilly and flung more gravy at him, "Yeah, sorry Pete."

Hermione felt her stomach drop out and her insides turn to lead.

_Peter. Fucking. Pettigrew._

Hermione glared daggers at him as she burned with white-hot anger. This boy would be responsible for James and Lily's death, Sirius' imprisonment, and Remus' spending ten years alone in just a years' time. He looked like a younger version of how Hermione remembered him. Twitchy and weak.

Hermione realized her hair was sparking as it sometimes did when she was angry, so she quickly reeled in her emotion and dropped behind her 'happy mask'. She forced a laugh before anyone could notice her lack of reaction.

Hermione decided she might as well have a little fun with him.

"Wormtail, what is he, a rat?" Hermione said, eyes flashing.

Peter squeaked and the boys laughed nervously. Ordinarily, Hermione would have taken pity on them and changed the subject, but she wanted to make Peter squirm.

"Oh, you even squeak! Is that where you got the nickname?" Hermione laughed good-naturedly, so no one would think she meant to be cruel.

Lily laughed with her, and the boys continued to look nervous.

"Calm down, you look like you want to turn into a rat. Pete, was it?"

Peter stared down at his plate and mumbled, "It's Peter."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and set her jaw, "Nice to meet you, Peter." And then she flung a spoonful of gravy at his face.

The nervous tension among the boys broke and they all started laughing, and Peter still looked downright terrified.

"Aw, lighten up Pete, she was just kidding," Sirius said. He then flung a piece of bacon at Peter, which actually did hit James this time. Thus ensued a food war between Sirius, James, and Peter, who reluctantly joined in.

Hermione smiled and vowed, right then, that she would not allow this boy to ruin their lives.

**A/N: So here is the long awaited Chapter 5, I'm sorry it took so long! I meant to get all the way to Diagon Alley, but I thought this was a good place to stop so I could post something. I hope you enjoyed!**


	6. I'm still alive!

A/N: So…..Hi. It's been over a year now since I updated, and I finally have some time to actually write. My inspiration took a hike and never came back a while ago, which had a lot to do with the gigantic crap life took all over me I mentioned during the last chapter. I WILL be continuing this story, I finally have a computer again, so I have spent the last week creating an actual outline for this story so that I can make updates flow and make the actual writing fun and not a hassle. Over the next day or two I'm going to edit the chapters already up to fit my plan for the story, so you may want to re-read (if anyone is still actually paying attention). When everything is edited and reposted to my liking, a new chapter will be posted (hopefully this week).I've done a lot of growing up this year, and as a combination of that and writing classes my writing style has matured somewhat. The Hermione/Remus pairing is still present, but it will not be the main storyline. In other words, I will not be hell-bent on turning this into a romance, so while the pairing is important to the story, that is not the main focus (though I'll make sure to add some fluffiness in). My life is still pretty hectic, but I PROMISE there will be no more year-long breaks. Writing is honestly going to turn into a bit of a stress reliever for me, so that should hopefully encourage frequent updates on my end. This note will disappear after I post the next chapter, so I'll have another shorter note at the beginning of the next chapter reiterating everything said in this note. Thanks for bearing with me!

(P.S. Reviews are a great way to give me a kick in the butt and reassure me people are still reading)


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